Expert: Joe Norman - 7/8/2008

Question
I was talking to a Churches of Christ person and he was talking about what a person must do by virtue of the fact that he is a Christian. I do not understand what he meant by that phrase "by virtue of the fact that he is a Christian".

I am not sure he understands it either, because he could not provide a few examples of what a person must do by virtue of the fact that he is a Christian, things do not apply to non-Christians.



Can you help? Can you provide a few examples?

Answer
To tell you the truth, your question is not very clear to me. I will to my best to help if I understand you correctly.

It is vitally important to understand that Christianity is a covenant relationship with God. In any covenant relationship there are requirements for the parties involved. Christianity is even compared to marriage.

Eph.5:28-33
28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

In Christianity there is a commitment to live a life that is pleasing to God. You probably understand that there is no possible way for a person to earn their salvation, but that fact does not mean there are no requirements of us from God. Christ died on the cross for ALL so that salvation might be possible. But salvation is ONLY given to those who have obedient faith.

We are saved by grace through faith (Eph.2:8).  But what do you see in the words of Paul in Romans chapter 6?

Romans chapter Six
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, WE TOO MIGHT WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. 5 For IF we have been UNITED WITH HIM in a death like his, we shall certainly BE UNITED with him in a resurrection like his.
6 We know that our old self WAS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would NO LONGER BE ENSLAVED TO SIN. 7 For one who has died has been SET FREE FROM SIN.
8 Now IF we have died with Christ, we BELIEVE that we will also live with him. 9 We KNOW that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also MUST CONSIDER YOURSELVES dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 LET NOT SIN therefore REIGN in your mortal body, TO MAKE YOU OBEY ITS PASSIONS.
13 DO NOT present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, BUT PRESENT YOURSELVES to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? BY NO MEANS!
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone AS OBEDIENT SLAVES, you ARE slaves of the one whom you OBEY, either of sin, which leads to death, or of OBEDIENCE, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were ONCE slaves of sin HAVE BECOME OBEDIENT FROM THE HEART to the standard of teaching to which you were COMMITTED, 18 and, having been set free from sin, HAVE BECOME SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so NOW present your members AS SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and HAVE BECOME SLAVES OF GOD, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I apologize for posting the entire chapter, but I believe it is important for you to read in its entirety to fully understand what I am saying and what the New Testament teaches. Christianity requires all that we are. We cannot be obedient perfectly, but we are to strive toward perfect obedience as best we can and be assured that Christ perfects us in our walk as long as we are faithful in doing our best to please Him. All we do is to show our deep and sincere love for God and trust in Him.

1 John 5:2, 3
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

1 John 1:6-10
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I do hope that I have helped you to understand. If it is obvious to you that I didn't understand your question, please feel free to try asking again. I am only able to help if I understand what the question is I am being asked. I deeply appreciate you choosing to ask me your question. If you have a completely different question or a follow-up question, please let me know as well. May God bless you in your study of His Word.

                    In Christ, Joe Norman